Receptacle-filling machine



May 27, 1924. r 1,495,724

a. w. BLAKE RECEPTACLE FILLING MACHINE Filed June -4, 19 2Q 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 is j;'.

May 27 1924. 1,495.724

G. w. BLAKE RECEPTACLE FILLI NG MACHINE Filed y: 4, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Il [pay W l A s 112- 12! @y Gv W. BLAKE RECEPTACLE FILLING MACHINE Filed June 4. 1920 (Sheets-Sheet s May 27, 1924. .1,495.724

v G. w. BLAKE RECEPTACLE FILLING MACHINE Filed June 4, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 v a l- I 417 Wil /W177 34:9. J18 attozweqd V Patented May 27, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I .GEOBGE W. OI WYANDOTTE, IICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE Gm. W. BLAKE MFG. COMPANY, OF WYANDOT'I'E, MICHIGAN, A COBPORATIOH OF MICHIGAN,

BECEPTACLE-FILLING MACHINE. I

Application fled June 4,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE BLAKE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Wyandotte, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain I new and. useful Improvements. in Receptacle-Filling Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. 0

In my Patent No. 1,27 8,097 granted Sept. 1Q, 1918, there is disclosed a can filling machine that may be used for filling cans, cartons, containers or receptacles with granular, pulverized or loose matter, for instance, sugar, salt, etc., and the machinemay also handle liquid, as molasses and any free flowing fluid. The machine includes a main frame, power and driven shafts; main and auxiliary feed reservoirs with automatic controlling devices between the reservoirs;.electrically operated feed shut off devices for the auxiliary reservoirs; pneumatic vibrators for the auxiliary reservoir and a valve con- 2 trolling the operation of the vibrators; ro-

tary carrier and scale platforms; power distributor for the electrical devices; and automatic loading and unloading devices for the rotary carrier. In constructing the machine, it was found that certain improvements could be made which would not only simplify the construction, perfect o eration and control especially when han ling certain kinds of material.

Starting in at the top of the machine the first improvement is an automatic feed controlling device for the auxiliary reservoir, and within the reservoir or the discharge spouts thereof are agitators which prevent the material from the auxiliary reservoir clogging the spouts and the dis charge nozzles thereof.

The next improvement is in connection with the electrically operated shut-off devices for the auxiliary reservoir and by a novel arrangement of toggle levers a better action is obtained irrespective of the nature of the material to be controlled by the shutolfdevices.

Further down in the machine is the rotary carrier and its scale platforms andit'is here that numerous improvements were made, some of which are in the form of safeguards but insure a more 1920. Serial No. 886,529.

and others to provide a more reliable autowhich I have made in connection with the machine disclosed in my prior patent will be hereinafter described and then claimed, and reference will now be had to the drawings, wherein Figure. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the machine, partly in elevation and partly broken away;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the same taken on the line IIII of. Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan of the machine showing the automatic feed control device for the auxiliary reservoir;

Fig, 4 is aplan of a, portion of the auxiliary reservoir showing a modified form of agitator;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a portion of the rotary carrier and .a scale platform thereof; Fig. 7 is elevation of one of the electrica y operated feed shut off devices for the auxiliary reservoir,- partly broken away and partly in section;

Fig. 8 is a loiifiitudinalsectional view taken on the line IIVIII of Fig. 7

Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line IX-IX of Figs 8;

Fig. 10 is a cross sectional view taken on the line XX of Fig. 2, and v Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail sectional view of an adjustable trip'meinber.

As in my former machine, there'is a base or foundation 1 provided with a plurality of .uprights and some of these upri hts have been designated 2, 3 and 4 with 51c upper ends thereof connected by a three-arm spider 5. The upri hts are otherwise connected as will hereina te three-arm spider 6 adjacent the base 1 of the machine, the'spider 5 in providing bear' 'or journals for a vertically dis sed drive shaft 7 which may be operate from an electric motor or suitable source of power.

Suitably connected to the spider 5 is a circular cover plate 8 for an annular auxiliary reservoir com of an inner wall 9 and ,anouter wa 10,"said walls being r appear, particularly by a' and this spider cooperates with I pivotally connected to the bracket is a yoke 16 having a presser member 17 adapted to engage the discharge tube 14 and collapse said tube towards the bracket 15, as shown by dot and dash lines in Fig. 1. The discharge tube 14 has been shown as partially closed in Fig. 3 and to accomplish a shut off of the tube passage the yoke 16 has a side arm 18 pivotally connected by a link 19 to a lever 20 fulcrumed on an upright 21, carried by the cover plate 8. The lever 20 extends transversely of the cover plate to a -point diametrically opposite from the discharge tube 14 where the end of the lever is loosely connected, as at 22, to a rod 23 extending through a guide 24 of the cover plate 8 into the annular compartment of the auxiliary reservoir. The inner end of the rod 23 has a shoe 25 adapted to bear on the material within the auxiliary reservoir, said shoe being somewhat segment shaped with one end thereof inclined so that it will easily ride over the surface of the material I in the reservoir as said reservoir fills.

The elements 15 to 25 inclusive constitute automatically actuated means for regulat-. mg the supply of material to the auxiliary reservoir, and such means permit of theosupply being controlled irrespective of the kind of material supplied to the reservoir.

Suitably connected to, the bottom late 12 are a plurality of ciroumferentially isposed and equally spaced discharge nip les 26 and attached to each nipple is .a flexi le tubular discharge spout 27, preferably made of a piece of hose havmg walls that may be easilycollapsed and pressed towards each other. They discharge s out 27 extends into openings 28 of a clrcu ar plate '29 secured to the shaft 7 and this circular plate may be provided with a nozzle for the discharge spout so that various sizes and kindsof receptacles ma be readily filled.

Suspende in each discharge nipple is an agitator 30 to prevent material or matter unduly caking, packing down,or solidifying within the nipple and the bottom of the auxiliary reservoir. The agitators 30 may be in the form of a flat piece of material rovided with a scalloped or sinuous memer projecting from the sides thereof and the agitators are' loosely connected to cranks 31 of crank shafts 32 which extend through the outer wall 10 of the auxiliary reservoir.

and are journaled in bearings 33 on the bottom plate 11.

The crank shafts 32 are provided with rolls 34 that ride against a track 35 supported by brackets 36 from the uprights 2, 3 and 4 of the machine. The track 35 is stationary and segment shaped in plan, as shown in Fig. 3, and as the rolls 34 contact therewith the shafts 32 are revolved to impart a somewhat reciprocable movement to the agitators 30 within the discharge nipples 26. Associated with each discharge nipple and spout is an electrically'operated feed shut off device, best shown in Figs. 1, 7, 8 and 9, and each device comprises a solenoid bracket 37 depending from the bottom plate 11 of the auxiliary reservoir. The bracket 37 supports a set of solenoids 38 having the cores 39 thereof connected by a cross head 40, and attached to said cross headand ex-- tending through the bracket'37 is a plunger 41 which is encircled bya coiled expansion spring 42, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear.

Suitably attached to the sides 'of the bracket 37 are brackets 43 having confronting channel guides 44 at' the lower ed es thereof and slidable in said channel gui es are the ends of op osed shut off members 45 and the ends of r0 s 46 located adjacent said shut off members. The shut off members 45 are at' opposite sides of the spout 27 and said shutoff members have presser blocks 47, referably made of rubber, adapted to colapse the walls of the spout and close the same as shown "at the left hand side of Fig. 1. The shut off members 45 are connected by links 48 to the rods 46 and the shut off members have depressed ortions 49 roviding clearance for the lin s 48 and a so toggle members 50 which are pivotally connected, as at 51, to the ends of. a fork 52 pivotally connected to the lower end of the plunger 41, said fork being fulcrumed on a transverse bearing pin 53 connecting the brackets 43.

The arrangement of the links 48. is such that when the pivotal connections 51 of the toggle members 50 are raised and lowered the rods 46 will be shifted to move the shut off members 45 to and from each other. For instance, the expansive force of the spring 42 holds the plunger 41 normally elevated with the rods 46 separated and the shutoff memenergized, and it will be noted that when the solenoids are de-energized that the expansive force of the spring 42 immediately closes the shut off members 45. This is a safeguard in case anything should happen to interfere with the electrical connections of the solenoids 38, otherwise the shut off members 45 might be open and the .material flow from the spout 27.

Mounted on the shaft 7, below the circular plate 29 is a rotary carrier 54 which has its peripheral edges cut away to provide clearance for a plurality of scale platforms 55 corresponding in number to the discharge spouts 27. Each scale platform has a depending stirrup 56 pivotally connected, as at 57, to a yoke 58 on the outer end of a scale beam 59. The yoke 58 of the scale beam is pivotally connected, as at 60, to a stirrup shaped hanger 61 of the carrier 54 and this hanger is connected by links 62 to the yoke 56. The constructive arrangement of the' scale beam 55 is such that it is normally maintainedin the same horizontal plane as the peripheral edges of the rotary carrier 54. and with the scale platform of the beam and poise type it is possible to' set the poise of the scale so that the platform will not be overbalanced until a prescribed quantity of material has entered a can or receptacle on the platform. 7

Above each platform 55 is a receptacle receiving U-shaped member 63 supported by a turn post 64 and constantly maintained in engagement with a stop pin 65 by a coiled spring 66 on the post 64. The expansive force of the s ring 66 holds the receptacle receiving member 63 against the stop pin 65 but permits of the receptaclereceiving member yielding as it receives a'receptacle. The

post 64 extends upwardly through a receptacle abutment 67 and it is to this abutment that one of the convolutions of the spring 66 may be connected while the other convolution of the spring is fastened to the post 64 or the receptacle receiving member 63.

On the scale platform 55, adjacent the inner edge thereof, are insulated binding posts 68 and 69, the former supporting a resilient switch arm 7 0 adapted to contact with a contact member 71 of the bindingpost 69. Intermediate the ends of the switch arm is an insulated projection 72, and this projection protrudes below the can receiving member 63 so.that. a can or receptacle placed on the scale platform 55 will engage the projection 72 and shift the switch arm 70 until it engages the contact member 71 and establishes an electrical connection between the binding posts 68 and 69.

The scale platform 55 has a depending bracket 73 and the rotary carrier 54 has a similar depending bracket 74. The brackets 73 and 74 are loosely switch beam 7 5 having a contact member or connected together by a.

blade 76 intermediate the ends thereof adapted to enter a knife switch 77 supported by an insulator 78 depending from the rotary carrier 54. So far it is apparent that when" a receptacle{ is placed on the platform 55 the switch arm 70 is closed, and as the rece tacle is filled and the platform 55 lowered the switch beam is actuated to move the contact member or knife 76 outof engagement with the knife switch 77 and thereb break an electric circuit which will now e considered in connection with the electrical equipment of the machine.

Suitably fixed on the three arm spider 6 is a brush holder 7 9 having brushes 80 and 81 in circuit with a suitable source of electrical energy, (not shown). The brushes 80 and 81 contact with distributor rings 82 and 83 respectively carried by an insulator 84 mounted on the vertical drive shaft 7, and the distributor ring 82 is connected by insulated electrical conductors 84 to the binding t 69 of the platform switches. The bin ing posts 68 of said platform switches are connected by conductors 85 to the carrier knife switches 77 and these carrier knife switches have conductors 86 extendin through insulators 87 on the drive shaft and upwardly to another insulator 88 mounted on the drive shaft 7 and provided with a distributor ring 89. The conductors 86 extend to the solenoids 38 and return conductors 90 are connected to the distributing ring 89 which is placed in approximately the same horizontal plane as the solenoids 38 of the electrically operated shutoff devices for the auxiliary reservoir. 4

The distributor ring 89 is connected by a conductor 91 to the distributing ring 83, and in this manner electric connections are established so that the platform and carrier .switches may control the operation of the main shut off devices of the auxiliary reservo1r.

outer edge provided with a depending and outwardly extending shoe 92 and these shoes serve two purposes. First, the shoes are adapted to ride under and engage a vibratory rail 93 carried by blocks 94 loose on guide postsv95 mounted in C shaped brackets 96 secured to the uprights 2 and 3 of the machine, as best shown in Fig. 2. The blocks 94 are supported on the guide posts 95 by coiled cushion springs 97{ and said guide posts may be conveniently in the form of bolts retained in bracket 96 by nuts. On the vibratory rail 96 is mounted an electricallyoperated vibrator 97 and when this vibrator is placed in operation. sufiicient vibrations are imparted to the rail 93 .and the shoes 92 to vibrate the scale platforms 55. Vibrations of the scale platforms 55 will cause material placed in the receptacles on the scale plat- Each of the scale platforms 55 has its engagement with the completely'filled if so desired.

The shoes 92 serve a further'purpose of positively raising and lowering the scale platform 55, so that for any unseen reason a receptacle should fail to be filled the plat forms will be actuated to control the electrical circuit of the machine. To this end, the rear-end of the vibratory rail 93 has an inclined or cam portion 98 which is encountered by the shoes 92 and the platforms 55 are lowered. As the shoes 92 travel off of the vibratory rail 93 the inclined or a cam portion 99 of-an auxiliary-trail 100 is encountered, said rail being supported by a bracket 101 from the upright 4 ofthe machine. The lowering of the platforms 55 by the-end of the vibratory rail 93 and the elevating of said platforms by the end of the auxiliary rail 100 positively makes and breaks the electric circuit at the carrier knife switch 77, independent of the loading of the receptacles on the scale platforms.

Suitably supported in a horizontal plane with or slightly above that of the rotary carrier 54 is a loading and unloading platform 102 provided with endless conveyors 103 and '104, the former being employed for conveying receptacles to the filling machine and the latter for removing the receptacle. These endless conveyors may be operated in timed relation to each other and to the rotation of the rotary carrier 54 by being driven from the vertical drive shaft 7 of the machine. For this purpose, the shaft 7 has a horizontally disposed gear wheel 105 above the spider 6 and said gear wheel meshes with beveled gear wheels 106 on shafts 107 extending outwardly to impart movement to the endless conveyors 103 and 104, said shafts being supported in suitable bearing by the spider 6 and the platform 102.

On the platform 102 is a loading device in the form of a vertical shaft 108 journaled in a bearing 109 of the platform 102. The lower end of the shaft 108 has a double crank 110 with one end thereof connected by a coiled retractile spring 111 to the platform 102. The opposite end of the double crank 110 has a pm and slot connection 112 with a bell crank 113 pivoted on the lower end of a depending bearing 114 of the platform 102. The bell crank 113 extends into.

the path of trip members 115 carried by the rotary carrier 54, said trip members-corresponding in number to the scale platforms 55 and positioned relative to said platforms so that the shaft 108 will be rocked when each scale platform reaches adefined position relative to the loading device.

Each trip member 115 is longitudinally adjustable in a support 116 carried by a clutch member 117 and a set screw 118 or similar fastening means is employed for fixing the trip member relative to the support 116. The clutch member 117 normally engages the lower clutch end of a bearing 119 depending from the rotary carrier 54, and the clutch member 117 is held in an adjusted position by a cap 120 detachably mounted on the lower end of the bearing 119. It is therefore possible to set the trip member at a desired angle and in a lateral plane so that it will properly engage the bell crank 113.

Mounted on the upper end of the rock shaft 108 are cranks 121 and adjustably connected to said cranks, as at 124, are parallel.

to shift the can or receptacle along said abutment on to the scale platform, and the abutment 126 retains the cans or receptacles on the loading conveyor 103 until such time as a scale platform is in position to receive a can or receptacle. Connected to the abut-' ment 126 is the resilient retaining member 127 adapted to engage the; pin 123 of the loading arms 122 and temporarily hold the loading device at the limit of its outward movement, movement of the loading device due to the action of the retractile spring 111.

The platform 102 has guide rails 128 at the sides of the loading conveyor 103, and one of these guide rails is provided with an adjustable guide 129 which extends in the direction of the periphery of the rotary carrier 54 or towards the vibratory rail 93. Connected to the adjustable guide 129 is a resilient finger 130 and when a can or receptacle encounters this finger the can or receptacle is shifted so as to engage the projection 72 of the platform switch and close the switch arm 70, thus establishing a circuit which energizes the solenoids 38 of the feed shut off devices and said solenoids open the devices against the action of the springs 42 so that material may flow through the discharge spouts 27 into .the cans or receptacles on the scale platforms 55.

besides cushioning a return At the unloading conveyor. 104 there are 0 guide rails 131 and 132 extending above the abutment limiting the inward movement of i the solenoids 38 is broken so that said solethe cans or receptacles on to the scale platforms.

Before considering the operation of the machine reference will be had to Figs. 4 and 5 showing a modified form of operating mechanism for the agitators 30 in the discharge nipples 26 and spouts 27 of the auxiliary reservoir. In this modification the agitator rail is in the form of a rack 134 normally engaged by a pawl 135 fixed on the outer end of each agitator shaft 32, and the retractile force of a spring 136 holds the pawl normally in engagement with the rack 134, so that as the auxiliary reservoir is revolved the pawl 135 will ride over the teeth of the rack 134 and impart a rocking move.- ment to the agitator shaft 32.

In operation, and assuming that the drive shaft 7 is driven from a suitable source of energy, the rotary carrier 54 and the auxiliary reservoir are revolved in unison in clockwise direction. The material is maintained at a constant level within the auxiliary reservoir and is agitated within the reservoir nipples 26 so that the material will freely flow through the discharge spouts when the same are open.

Further assuming that the loading conveyor 103 contains cans or similar receptacles, with one of the cans or receptacles against the abutment 126, the loading arms 122 will be eventually actuated by the trip member 115 of the rotary carrier 54, and a.

can or receptacle will be shifted onto the scale platform adjacent the abutment 126. The can or receptacle will be pushed into the receiving member 63. and against the abutment 67 of the scale platform where the can will be held until it encounters the finger 130 when it is further shifted to close the platform switch and establish an electric circuit that energizes the solenoils 38 of the shut ofi device above the can or receptacle. As pointed out in the beginning the energizing of the solenoids 38 separates the shut of! members 45 so that the spout 27 will open and permit of material flowing therethrough into the can or receptacle on to the scale platform 55. During the filling of the can or receptacle the platform 55 is-vibrated and the filling continues during the rotary movement of the carrier 54 until the scale platform is overbalanced, which indicates that the can or receptacle has received a predetermined quantity of material. Overbalancing of the scale platform 55 opens the carrier switch 77 and the electric circuit to noids are de-energized, permitting of the spring 42 associated with said solenoids to actuate the shut oil members 45 and close the discharge spout 27 The loaded can. or receptacle eventually encounters the guide rails 131 and is shifted on to the unloadin conveyor 104, and of course while this is taking place other cans or receptacles are being received by scale platforms and properly filled with material. It maybe found that the scale platform switches may be constructed so as to control the energizing of the solenoids 38, without the use of the carrier switches 77, but I prefer to use both switches so as to avoid excessive arcing at the scale platform switches and furthermore as a safeguard for fear that something should happen to a platform switch, in which case an emergency connection would be established so that the carrier switch would temporarily serve the purpose of controlling the operation of the feed shut off devices.

From the foregoing it will be observed that I have made certain improvementsor refinements in connection with the machine disclosed by my prior patents, and it is these improvements which make the machine more i practical from a commercial and manufacturing standpoint, particularly the former as the machine is capable of handling kind of material, liquid or granular, to be placed in receptacles.

,W' hat I claim is 1. A filling machine comprising a rotary receptacle carrier, scale platforms carried thereby adapted to receive receptacles to be filled with predetermined quantities of material, a reservoir movable with said carrier and adapted to supply-material to the receptacles on the scale platforms, normally closed and electrically opened means controlling the supply of material from said reservoir to the receptacles, means on each scale platform adapted to open said means, and electrically operated means for vibrating said scale platforms during the filling of the receptacles thereon.

2. In a filling machine .adapted to receive receptacles, filling means for the receptacles electro-mechanical means controlling sai fillingnneans, movable platforms to receive the receptacles, means successively actuated by the placing and filling of receptacles on said platforms controlling the operation of said electro-mechanical means, and means to move said platforms with filled receptaany that is .cles thereon so that the receptacles may be removed.

3. A filling machine as characterized in claim 2, wherein a rotary carrier supports said movable, platforms and b its motion causing receptacles to be discharged from the platforms.

4. In a rotary filling machine, adapted to receive receptacles, mechanically closed and electrically opened filling means for the receptacles, platforms to receive the receptacles and adapted to be lowered and raised, means actuated b lateral movement of 'a g receptacle on a p atform to cause said fill ing means to open, means actuated by the l weight of a filled receptacle on said platform to cause the platform to lower and the filling means to close, and means adapted to raise the lowered platform with a filled receptacle thereon.

5. A filling machin as characterized in claim 4, wherein a loading device actuated by the rotary motion of the machine places receptacles on the platforms and the motion of the machine causes receptacles to be discharged therefrom.

6. In a rotary filling machine, individual movable scale platforms, a loading and unloading platform in the same plane as said scale platforms, a loading device on said loading and unloading platform operated in timed relation to the movement of said scale platforms, filling means for the receptacles set in operation by the placing of a receptacle on a platform by said loading device, means causing a cessation in the operation of said filling means by a depression of a scale platform due to the weight of a filled receptacle thereon, and means for rais ing the platform with a filled receptacle thereon so that the filled receptacle may be member associated with each scale platform operates said loading device.

8. In a rotary filling machine, scale platforms adapted to have receptacles placed thereon, filled and the platforms depressed by the weight of filled receptacles thereon, a vibrating rail, a raising rail, and means carried by each platform to successively-engage said rails so that said platforms will be vibrated during the filling of the receptacles and raised after being filled.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE w. BLAKE. Witnesses ANNA M. Dorm, KARL H. BUTLER. 

